


Curiosity

by orphan_account



Category: A Hat in Time (Video Game)
Genre: Both the birds have hopeless crushes they just don’t realize it, I’m not really good at tags lol sorry, M/M, The owls and penguins are only in it for very few parts
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-12
Updated: 2019-07-12
Packaged: 2020-06-26 23:12:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,220
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19778419
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: The Conductor seeks out his old time rival to start some banter to ease his frustration with his owls, but ends up finding his usual clothes instead, left behind in the costume room. Letting his curiosity get the best of him, he puts them on, ending up in a very embarrassing situation when he’s caught. However, as the minutes go on, the Conductor begins to realize that something about the way they see each other has changed over time.





	Curiosity

The studio was quiet. For the most part, at least. It was just a very slow day for production. The Conductor felt like him and his owls were getting absolutely nowhere with their latest shoot, having to consistently redo scenes over and over to the point where he’d lost count.

If only the kid was around to help—she would surely brighten the whole studio in an instant and rock the movie without any difficulty. Unfortunately, though, when he had asked, the kid alerted him that she would be spending time with one of her other friends off in Subcon Forest. 

Cutting back to reality, the Conductor sunk down in his director’s chair with an irritated grumble, watching his Express Owls flail about on their stage to make things right. “Stop,” the yellow owl finally said aloud with a groan, and the other owls ceased their movement. The Conductor didn’t even have the energy to snap and yell at them. The day was going much too slow for his liking and he was starting to get exhausted. “Stop. I’m going to go take a walk around the studio, and you have until I get back to get your act together!”

With that, the yellow owl hopped from his chair and stormed off from the set, listening as the panicked voices of his Express Owls sounded while they tried to point out and fix their flaws. Maybe he shouldn’t be so hard on them—he could only imagine they were just as exhausted as he was, perhaps even more. He was just too frustrated to care. 

While he walked, he listened in on the small chatter between the different birds that worked in the studio. The C.A.W. Agents that flocked in groups never really had much things interesting to say, he noticed. Or, maybe they did, maybe he just couldn’t exactly comprehend _what_ they were talking about. Whatever it tended to be, it seemed to leave them amused easily enough, so he didn’t bother with it. His Express Owls tended to be a little anxious in their conversations, usually voicing complaints about something or another. He didn’t bother with that either.

In the front of the studio, he noticed a group of Grooves’s Moon Penguins and his own owls conversing. It was a rather strange sight to see—he never saw them talk much, or much less even acknowledge each other. He let the thought pass his head as he stormed forward, catching the attention of his Express Owls as they turned around, looking at their boss with questions in their eyes.

“Have the lot of ya seen DJ Grooves around?” his voice came out as a growl, the penguin’s name spitting from his tongue like venom. He wanted to blow steam and figured the best way would be to start some unprompted banter. His stroll around the studio alone just wouldn’t do it.

“Last I saw, he was in the costume room,” a Moon Penguin answered with a snap of its flipper, earning a confirmation from the other penguins.

The Conductor left without another word, nothing more than an incomprehensible grumble as he trudged away, not noticing the confused looks shared between the owls and the penguins. He headed through one of the doors in the studio, off to the changing room, ignoring any bird that gave him a curious glance or tried to stop him with a question. He only continued to push forward until he had finally made it to the designated location.

Except, Grooves wasn’t in here.

“Peck,” the yellow owl mumbled, his foot tapping against the ground in impatience. Where was his rival? When he had passed, he hadn’t seen him on his set, so where else could he be? Stepping further into the room, he noticed something laid neatly on a table. He went to observe it, taking note of the penguin’s usual outfit folded on top of a table with his platform shoes and star sunglasses sat down right beside it. This somewhat confirmed the Moon Penguin’s words—Grooves _was_ in here, he had just left at some point.

Perhaps he was coming back. Surely the penguin wouldn’t leave his clothing laying around like this, especially when they meant so much to the bird. Such a tacky sense of fashion…such an odd fellow. Letting his curiosity get the best of him, the Conductor lifted an arm and grasped the sunglasses delicately between his feathers. As much as he wanted to clench his fists and snap them, he held back and handled them with gentleness, knowing that doing such an act was crossing an unspoken boundary that they would never reach. Plus, he had never seen DJ Grooves seriously angry before, and he couldn’t even imagine what kind of reaction would stir from breaking one of his valuables. The Conductor imagined it was an experience he’d want to stay away from for as long as he lived, though he had to admit the little bits of curiosity he had. Only a little bit.

The Conductor carefully placed the star glasses on his head, looking through them. To him, they really weren’t anything special, and he honestly couldn’t see the appeal. Next, his gaze landed on the red coat. It honestly stuck out like a sore feather, but regardless, the Conductor gathered it up and observed it, feeling the fabric. It felt a lot smoother than he imagined. He slipped it on and the clothing easily swallowed his body, dragging on the ground. Next came the shoes. He strapped the platform shoes around his feet, noticing how large they were and obviously not meant for his size, making it rather difficult to walk. He did enjoy feeling tall, though. It was a strange experience. 

The Conductor took a wobbly step, the red coat no longer dragging along the ground due to the added height. His leg shook as he tried to steady himself, his foot almost stepping wrong and bending to the side and causing him to fall and possibly hurt a leg. Thankfully, he had caught himself.

“How the peck does he do this?” the yellow owl hissed to himself aloud, his gaze glued to his feet as he continued to try and walk. His intentions to banter with his rival had long since been forgotten, including his planned stroll, as well as his movie in general. He was much too fixated on this right now. Why was he even doing it to begin with? He didn’t exactly know the answer, but perhaps it was better that way.

“Peck!” the Conductor growled after catching himself again from almost slipping. It was bloody impossible to walk in these things! His frustration heated his whole body up as he only continued, too prideful to give up. In the heat of the moment, he didn’t even notice the opening of the room’s door, followed by a gentle click as the newcomer gently closed it shut, and then silence.

“My, my, darling—what do we have here?” the newcomer finally spoke up and the Conductor’s gaze shot up, his face immediately heating up further as he locked eyes with the penguin’s beady, yet warm, own, usually hidden behind the star shaped glasses that now clung to the owl’s head. The penguin was dressed differently, and the owl could only assume it was a costume for a part he was playing in his own movie. He was wearing a hoodie that seemed too casual for his usual style, with jeans and a pair of headphones lazily slung around his neck. His afro he sported was tied into a little hair tie at the back of his head, a large puff of hair coming out from the tie. Regardless of the style that seemed much too casual for the penguin’s usual tastes, it still matched him pretty well. The Conductor would never admit it, but he even thought he looked nice.

“I can’t say I expected to see something like this when I came in here,” DJ Grooves chuckled to himself with fondness for his rival, amused by how the owl seemed to be shocked into complete silence. “In fact, this is far below even the _last_ thing I’d have expected to see.”

The penguin stepped forward until he was right in front of the Conductor, still completely silent as well as dead still, save for the slight shakiness of his legs, unused to the height. “Do you need help with that, darling?”

The penguin’s genuine offer for help seemed to snap the owl back to his senses as his blush spread madly and his cheeks felt like they were being engulfed with flames lapping at his feathers. “As if I’d ever need help from a peck neck like yourself!” the Conductor scoffed, his embarrassed flush hidden by the large glasses on his head. As if to prove a point, he stepped forward, but the plan automatically failed as he slipped once again, unable to catch himself.

He expected the impact of the ground but instead he fell into the patient and waiting arms of his rival. “I’ve got you,” the penguin assured, his grasp tight. 

“Unhand me you, you…!” the owl’s voice trailed off into a screech as he madly squawked out a fling of colorful curses, some that Grooves had never even heard before. Regardless of the Conductor’s embarrassed anger, the penguin helped him up and steadied him on his feet. Much to the yellow owl’s dismay, he did not let go.

“Pecking let go of me if you know what’s good for ya!” the Conductor hissed at him, his feathers fluffing out and bristling in anger. He tried to tug his arm away but the penguin had a firm grasp on his hand.

“Step forward slowly,” DJ Grooves’s voice was oddly gentle, ignoring the owl’s typical outbursts.

“What? I told you, I don’t need pecking help! Did ya hit your head or—“

“Just try it, darling,” the penguin’s voice stayed patient and he carefully urged the owl forward. With a hiss and a grumble, the owl realized he just couldn’t fight him like this so he did as he was told, wanting to get it over with as quickly as possible before someone else walked in on this embarrassing situation. He knew that gossip tended to spread in the studio, and it spread _fast_.

“There you go!” DJ Grooves praised as he lit up while the owl took a wobbly step as instructed, holding onto his rival for support, utterly embarrassed with the situation. However, oddly enough, the praise made him feel something weird. He felt…happy with it? No…

“Another, darling,” the penguin urged, breaking the Conductor free from his thoughts. He took another step, more steady than the last one, yet still clumsy. DJ Grooves grinned even wider, “Good!”

The Conductor almost let a small, satisfied laugh escape his beak but he quickly held it back. He couldn’t exactly help it—DJ Grooves’s cheeriness was awfully contagious in a moment like this. He quickly replaced any strange feelings he was having with anger. However, the small change in demeanor was caught by the penguin.

“That’s enough you peck neck!” the Conductor protested with a furious squawk, his embarrassment obvious in the way his voice quivered slightly.

“Just one more, darling,” DJ Grooves hummed, taking a few steps back and making the distance between them greater, though the penguin still reached forward to hold the owl’s hands. “Think you can walk this distance?”

With a huff, the Conductor shot back, “Of course I can!” Despite the gentleness, there was still a hint of a challenge beneath Grooves’s tone as he tested his rival. Carefully, the Conductor began to step forward, his legs unsteady and shaky. He didn’t think he could ever get used to this height. Before he could make it, he tripped on his own feet, gasping out as he surged forward in his failure. “DJ!”

DJ Grooves noticed the nickname but didn’t say anything as he hurried to catch the owl again in his arms. Carefully, he helped steady the owl back up straight, who did not hesitate to kick off the platform shoes and send them flying a few feet away as he kicked them off his feet. He shed himself of the penguin’s jacket and sunglasses, placing the face wear on the table but crumbling the jacket into a ball and throwing it on the floor. While the penguin watched his rival get upset, he thought back on the strange usage of his name that slipped the owl’s beak. He had been called DJ Grooves, just Grooves, and a wide range of names that he would rather not repeat, but never before had it been just DJ. 

“Pecking idiot, I tell ya what,” the Conductor grumbled aloud to himself as he kicked the jacket on the floor, sending it away by a few inches before it lifelessly flopped back to the ground again in a pile. This brought Grooves away from his thoughts as he focused his attention back on the owl.

“Don’t get mad, darling. I can’t help that you’re afraid of heights!” the penguin teased his owl rival, watching as the owl fell silent to peer up at him. He watched the exact moment the Conductor’s expression contorted into an angry squawk the second Grooves’s words settled and processed in his head, making the penguin laugh.

“I am not!” the Conductor wildly protested, throwing his arms up in the air as his feathers bristled. “Your shoes—they’re ridiculous! Nobody would be able to walk in them!”

“Darling, I’ve let my own penguins try them on. They did just fine.”

The Conductor wanted to continue arguing but he cut off any sentence he formed with a frustrated growl, realizing the DJ was only egging him on like this on purpose. Teasing him for a reaction.

“I can always teach you, you know. If you wanted to ever actually learn how to walk in them. It’s really not that hard,” DJ Grooves offered with strange, unusual sincerity. He gave the Conductor a curious look. The mad blush beneath his yellow feathers didn’t go unnoticed and he chuckled.

“As if,” the Conductor scoffed in response, turning away. “What in the ever loving peck would I need the knowledge for?”

“Well, why did you put my clothes on?”

The Conductor’s blush deepened. He really didn’t have an explanation, did he? At least, not a reasonable one. Grooves gave him a knowing look beneath a smirk. 

“It’s not like I’m going to do it again,” the Conductor hissed, his voice strangely quieter than before and rather sheepish. “I was just…curious, is all.”

“Curious?” DJ Grooves’s smirk widened, yet he didn’t question the topic further. The owl was already gravely embarrassed enough as it was. The penguin couldn’t help but still feel curious about why the owl had done what he did, but maybe it was a time better saved for when the owl was in a good mood. Or, a mood that was as good as it could get, which was hardly ever really ‘good’. Or, maybe they’d never talk about it again. That seemed more likely.

The Conductor didn’t say anything else, keeping his gaze to the ground. He lifted it up for a moment to observe his rival. Even without the penguin’s platforms, he was still slightly taller than the other. Grooves almost met his gaze but the owl quickly took it away.

“I’m going to be honest, darling,” DJ Grooves began after a moment of silence. He leaned down to pick up the crumpled jacket that had been thrown and kicked on the floor, folding it neatly and laying it down where the glasses had been placed. He picked up the eyewear in his flipper. “I surely thought, given the opportunity, you would have destroyed my belongings.” He inspected his shades, turning them around and observing every angle and direction. Not a single crack or scratch in sight.

“I thought about it,” the Conductor huffed, bringing his gaze up. “Is that why you left them in here? For me to destroy? A trap, mayhaps?”

“Of course not,” the director penguin couldn’t help but laugh at the owl’s accusation. “We’re rivals, but I wouldn’t go that far to find a reason to be mad at you. I wouldn’t want my things broken at all.”

“I might as well just snap them now after what you put me through,” the Conductor hissed, but something about his tone was off. It was more…lighthearted? Joking?

“Don’t think I didn’t see you enjoying it,” Grooves shot back with a smirk, causing the owl to shut his beak instantly with a growl. He decided to save the Conductor of any further embarrassment, changing the topic once again. “Why did you come here, anyways? It’s not very often you seek me out like this. My penguins told me you were looking for me.”

The Conductor crossed his arms, tapping his foot. “My owls are irritating the feathers right off of me! I swear, it’s like the lot of ‘em don’t know how to act all of a sudden!”

“So you came to me…to vent? I’m flattered, darling—you trust me that much?”

The Conductor’s face heated up and he jumped, stomping the ground. “That is not what I meant and you know it!” The almost childish outburst made the penguin chuckle.

“No need to throw a fuss, darling,” DJ Grooves held his flippers up in a joking manner. One flipper went to gently hold the owl’s shoulder, feeling the yellow bird flinch underneath his touch. “Why did you come, then?”

“To blow off steam,” the Conductor frowned, as if the answer should have been obvious. The penguin was either acting dumb, or he genuinely did not know.

“And you expected to do that…how?”

“Starting an argument!”

Grooves couldn’t help but laugh at that. He had grown to become fond of his rival’s behavior. Usually the two would argue over the littlest things, or even over nothing at all. They were mostly unprompted, but now the owl was actively _seeking_ an argument? Just to blow off steam? The penguin almost found it kind of cute.

“I’m afraid I can’t help you, darling,” the penguin hummed, his tone lightly teasing. “I have nothing to argue with you about…And I simply must get back to my set soon. I’m starring in my own movie since our little darling of a star is off with her own friends right now. My penguins are expecting me.”

 _Our._ The way he addressed Hat Kid was weird, but it felt…right. The Conductor would have expected Grooves to call the girl _his_ star though, like it used to be. The owl let the word slide from his mind, considering it nothing more than a mistake.

“Nothing?” the Conductor squawked with disbelief. “We always argue!”

“We argue without intention,” Grooves clarified, his voice emphasizing the last word.

The Conductor grumbled. Arguing with his rival, and just playing the role of a rival in general, always made him feel energized. Alive. But he felt empty at the moment, with nothing to really _be_ the role of a rival about at the current moment. Especially when eventually, Grooves would no longer be paying attention to him and would leave him to go back to his movie production.

Wait—why did he want his attention?

“Don’t you have your own movie to get back to?” came Grooves’s voice when he noticed the owl had gone quiet in his own thoughts, snapping the yellow bird out of his trance.

“I would,” the Conductor hissed, kicking at the floor lightly with his foot. “But I might as well make a new set and make a movie by my pecking self. My owls are pointless! Those no good, talentless, stuttering, son of a—!”

“Hey, hey, darling,” DJ Grooves quickly cut in, placing his flippers on both of the owl’s shoulders, noticing him at the beginning of yet another outburst. The yellow bird’s feathered horns flattened, his feathers bristling around his neck as he once again flinched from his touch.

“You can handle them,” the penguin said seriously, his voice gentle. “When have they ever stopped you?”

“Just now!” the Conductor frowned.

“What _other_ times, darling. Nothing’s coming to mind, yeah? Then you’ve _got_ this.”

The penguin’s strange pep talk caused the Conductor to grumble an incomprehensible sentence. Grooves did have a point, though.

“Your owls look up to you, you know,” DJ Grooves hummed, removing his flippers. “They may be intimidated by you, but they admire you. They only want to make you proud.”

That caught the owl’s attention and he looked up at Grooves, his face reading as nothing but surprise. “Yeah?”

“Yeah,” DJ Grooves responded with a small chuckle. He figured he had opened a little something within the owl. “My penguins are the same way. Of course, sometimes things can get frustrating. I know they’re trying their hardest, though. They just want to make me happy.”

The Conductor had gone completely silent. DJ Grooves relished in the moment, considering the scenario an absolute relic to behold. It was always such a rare sight to see the usually loud-beaked owl in such a calm and quiet state.

“I suppose you’re right,” the Conductor’s voice was calm, but it was still a low grumble. 

What had gotten into Grooves today? The owl couldn’t help but feel odd about what was going on. It just wasn’t normal. Years and years ago, when the two first met in front of the doors of the locked studio, it had been nothing but hatred and anger. Over time, a rivalry formed, that both of them had begun to realize that they didn’t know what they would do _without_ that rivalry. Their shared hatred grew less and less until it was nonexistent to this point, and their arguments had grown almost fond. Sometimes, they could say they were even slightly…playful.

This act, however, felt like it was crossing a line. The Conductor would never admit, though, that being able to converse with his rival in a calm manner was rather nice. Now was not the circumstance to enjoy it, though. This was _weird._

“What the peck is the matter with you?” the Conductor suddenly blurted out, making the penguin give him a prompting, questioning look. “Why are you acting so…nice? Is this all a trick?”

“We’ve known each other for all these years and I’m not able to have a nice conversation with you for once? I should feel hurt, darling.” Despite Grooves’s words, he was laughing with amusement. His tone made his words truthfully lighthearted rather than sour.

The Conductor, however, was not amused. “I know you’re up to something, you peck neck! I’m not stupid!”

“I never said you were, Con. What if I said I just enjoy having a normal conversation with you?”

The nickname made the Conductor shoot a glare at him, observing the penguin. He flinched only slightly, the nickname sounding strange coming from the penguin’s beak. He’d never heard it before, but oddly enough, it felt slightly nice. He ignored any pleasant feeling.

With a scoff, the Conductor turned his gaze away. “As if. Who would?”

“You’d be surprised, darling,” the penguin hummed in response. His gaze searched the room and landed on a clock on the wall. “I should get back to my set now. My deepest apologies that I couldn’t help you with this…’argument’. Catch you later!” 

As quick as he rushed the sentence out, the penguin was leaving the room just as fast. The words that Grooves had spoken lingered in the owl’s head. He…enjoyed his company? ‘Catch you later’?

This had to be some new trick, or some kind of genius plan, or…Anything but genuine. It was probably some kind of way to take the advantage for winner’s first place at this year’s movie awards.

How would being friendly help, exactly?

Well, the Conductor could always end up letting his guard down. Then, he wouldn’t work as hard on his own movie, or DJ Grooves could even come in and ruin it himself once he got the owl’s full trust, or…

No, none of it made sense. As much as he didn’t want to entirely accept it, it must be a genuine interest of some kind of friendship. Maybe something else entirely.

The more he thought about it, the more the owl came to find himself being…okay with it. He was still in a strong amount of denial, though. 

The Conductor took one last look at the penguin’s usual attire, folded nicely on the table, before leaving the room himself. He took a walk through the studio, back to his own set. Once he arrived, the owls that had been sitting around quickly gathered themselves up on their feet, ready to work.

“I hope you owls have figured everything out. Let’s get back to it!” the Conductor projected his voice for his team to hear, though he didn’t sound angry. He sounded oddly satisfied.

“Wow, boss. That walk must have really helped! We’ll do better this time!”

The Conductor chuckled, thinking back to his interaction with the penguin. “I suppose you’re right, lad. Action!”

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you enjoyed this! This might be its own story or I might write another chapter depending on how I feel, I’ll decide later but enjoy this for now <3


End file.
